In the past years, the private sector has dramatically expanded its role in the mortgage bond market, which had previously been dominated by government-sponsored agencies. Especially subprime mortgages that became increasingly popular in recent years are considered higher-risk loans because they typically draw borrowers in with an initial low "teaser" interest rate, which can spike upward after the first few years.

Generally, subprime loans are mortgages given to borrowers with credit scores of 620 or below. Such low scores result from a history of paying debts late or not paying debts at all. Because subprime borrowers are seen as "higher risk," their loans carry interest rates that are at least 2 percentage points higher than those offered to borrowers with better credit.

Unfortunately a lot of subprime mortgage loans are defaulting. Most subprime borrowers take out a loan to pay off creditors, but it may not be enough to solve their financial problems. Some loans were given to people who just couldn't afford the payments - even before their rates increased - but weren't savvy enough to turn them down. A big reason why is that, to avoid discrimination charges, lenders gutted their traditional lending standards in order to loan money to people with bad credit more common in some minority communities, so refusing to lend money to people with bad credit is alleged to have a racially "disparate impact"). The Community Reinvestment Act, which punishes banks that don't make loans in high-risk areas, is also a key reason why (it was enacted and then made even more onerous by the very politicians who are now shrieking about the mortgage crisis they helped create).

Also subprime mortgages are boosting the housing sector, where predatory mortgage companies target consumers with bad credit ratings and low incomes. These consumers are often ineligible for the much lower prime market rates. The lenders prey upon the dream of homeownership among the working poor, offering to accept "high risk" borrowers. In turn, interest rates are inflated very high, so exorbitant that many borrowers cannot keep up with payments, penalties and other fine-print fees, particularly in the event of job loss, injury or illness in the family. A very high percentage of sub-prime mortgage agreements end in desperate refinancing attempts, foreclosures and personal bankruptcy filings.

What can be done to curb bad credit mortgage booms? In response to aggressive lending practices by mortgage lenders anti-predatory lending laws can be enacted that regulated the provision of high-risk mortgages. However, research shows that these laws have not been effective in limiting the growth of such mortgages. But on the other hand with lending standards now tightened, fewer borrowers will qualify for loans. That's a double whammy for housing - more homes on the market and fewer buyers. For example, in markets where home prices might have fallen 3 percent because of the general housing downturn, the presence of a lot of subprime borrowers in trouble could magnify that to a 6 percent price drop.

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